Mural entitled "Al filo de la Conciencia" by INTI aka @inti.artist and Mono Gonzalez aka @monogonzalezchile seen at 401 SW 8th Street in Miami, Florida.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee

i am recently reading a book by one of my favourite writer, Anne Rice entitled 'Belinda" and i assure you, you wont get bored of it. as the critics said, 'It is a 20th century Lolita'. and that made me remember this shot i took at the pier in Bacolod. this one is my very own representation of the novel. :) the 16 years old runaway girl who came from a rich and famous family that handles the United Theatrical who fell in love with a 44 years old divorced children's book author, Jeremy Walker.

Unaware of who Belinda really is, Jeremy falls in love with her and paints her portraits nude. When he discovers Belinda's true identity, things unravel quickly as his career and freedom are threatened, as well as the love he feels for Belinda. The novel explicitly narrates the sexual union between Walker and Belinda.

The novel deals with an illegal relationship: the age of consent in California, where most of the novel's events take place, is 18. Jeremy is accused of being a child molester. The novel describes numerous relationships with large age gaps. Although Belinda is the only character who is a minor, and is much younger than any of the other characters, the novel raises the question whether genuine love can exist and whether it has a moral basis when there is such a large age gap between the lovers.

ps! this is my 1st strobists shot!!! yeeeeey! and that was totally fun! :) i do like the output,hope u do too! :) be uploading more soon :)

model: 16 yrs old jodi henares

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We are now preparing stuffs for the 3rd issue of Ecoseedmagazine. And for those who wants to see the previous issues,here's the link so take a tour! c; We have also decided to make two volumes per issue so that means 2 magazine release every month. We would also want to thank all the photo contributors! we'll get back to you guys once your photos are featured on any issues that we'll be releasing with your credits on it! And for anyone of you who wants to be a part of this big step to a whole new portal just drop a msg. c; xoxo and God bless the world :)

Mural entitled "Metamorphosis" by Tran Nguyen aka @mynameistran for Long Beach Walls 2019, seen at 318 North Solano Court in Long Beach, California.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Tee

Actually entitled "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe", this installation is stark and imposing. As it should be.

It is not without its detractors. See this article:

www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-inadequacy-of...

However, I found it to be a very potent memorial. When you are inside the installation, being dwarfed by the larger concrete blocks, you occasionally get a glimpse of another person flashing by in front of you between the blocks. Then they're gone.

"entitled: Movie Night".

From Here to Eternity (1953) is famous for its eight Academy Awards, its iconic beach scene, and the method-acting approach of Montgomery Clift. Clift learned to box and play the bugle for his role as Prewitt, and the iconic beach scene with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr was a last-minute idea from the director. The film was based on a 1951 novel by James Jones, and its success revitalized Frank Sinatra's film career, earning him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor! The more you know.....

Mural entitled "Indigenous People Unite" by Dragon 76 aka @dragon76 seen at 2105 West Cornwallis Drive in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Drone photo by James aka @urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "Africa Hi Fi Part 2" by Rahmaan Statik aka @rahmaanstatik and Stash Maleski aka @icuart1 with assistant artists P. Chuck, Gape one, Uprize, and Dwane Wriddly; seen at 1125 West Lake Street in the Fulton Market area of Chicago, Illinois.

Mural entitled "Redemption" by Gaia aka @gaiastreetart, seen at 1599 Central Street in Dubuque, Iowa.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "Salt Lake Sally" by Phoebe Joynt aka @feebee_n_jay, seen at 80 West Robert in South Salt Lake, Utah.

Photo by James aka @urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

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Mural entitled "Soy Nervioso" by Ledania aka @ledania for Bright Walls 2022, seen at 148 East Courtland in Jackson, Michigan.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "Where Shall We Go?" by @maxsansing on the wall of the Horween Leather Company opposite the Ozinga redi-mix plant on North Mendell in Chicago, Illinois.

Created for 26th MMM Challenge- bridges

Playing with Textures #57, featuring Temari 09 (Art from 2013)

Featured texture with thanks, from Temari 09

Model entitled "White Dress by !Insomnia-stock on DeviantART found here:

insomnia-stock.deviantart.com/art/White-Dress-286851679

Background bridge is from my stock.

Mural entitled "Freedom" by @bkfoxx seen at 55 Atherton Street in Yonkers, New York.

Photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee

A moments silence please in memory of the wide-angle lens... for it has to go home tommorow and my life will seem very narrow without it. Thanks again to ben for the experience.

If you know me and if you've seen any of my other recent photos, you'll know i'm a cloud freak in need of a hard hat... Just look at the colours in this crazy sky, i fell of my chair AND then banged my head when i saw this beauty :)

These pictures were taken during a trip to Rome in Jun 2008, where I presented a 2-day seminar on "Web 2.0".

I noticed this couple, sitting on the railing that separates the vehicular roadway from the pedestrian part of the Piazza del Popolo. I couldn't tell if they were arguing, engaged in a who-blinks-first? contest, or just having a thoughtful conversation...

I can't help wondering if this couple had any idea how many people would look at their picture (a little over 14,000 as of January 2012), and how many different bizarre blog postings -- well over a hundred, at this point, from all over the world -- would use the image of their conversation to illustrate their message. To see all the places where the photo has been published (at least, all of the ones that I'm aware of), see below...

***********************************************

Note: this photo was published on Jul 8, 2008 in a blog posting entitled "Reader Question: Handling Pressure to Apologize." It was also published in an Aug 21, 2008 blog article entitled "Marriage, money, debt, and divorce?" And it was published in a Jan 27, 2009 blog article entitled "Complaining’s Place In Marriage." In addition, it was published in a Jan 13, 2009 blog titled "Karen Kalisek’s Top 20 Things To Help (1-5)." More recently, it was published in a March 17, 2009 "Mind Hack" blog article titled "Dominant chemicals." And it was published in a Sep 13, 2009 blog titled "How to Fight With Your Partner."

A few days later, it was published in a Sep 18, 2009 blog titled "Couple’s Counseling: Why I Don’t Take Sides." And it was published in an Oct 20, 2009 Greek blog titled "Η ψυχολογική κακοποίηση των ανδρών." It was also published in a Nov 4, 2009 blog titled "10 tips for traveling as a couple - and not breaking up." And it was published in a Nov 14, 2009 blog titled "How Thoughtful Words Save Marriages." It was also published in an undated (late-November 2009) blog titled "Democratia cuplului." It was also published, on page 5 of 8, in a Nov 14, 2009 blog titled "Best of the Week: Forbidden Gifts, Landlord Secrets & More."

One of the more unusual publications of this photo was in a Dec 7, 2009 blog titled "Separated Spouses Filing Bankruptcy Together." It was also published in a Nov 30, 2009 blog titled "The Language Barrier."

Moving into 2010, the photo was published in a Jan 7, 2010 blog titled "Everyone has a bad day." It was also published in a Jan 7, 2010 blog titled "Dealing with travel-partner conflicts." And it was published in an undated (Jan 2010) blog titled "Avoiding the Heartbreak Hostel: 10 Simple Rules For Backpacking Lovin’ for Female Travellers." It was also published in a Jan 18, 2010 Greek blog titled "Τι συμβαίνει στην αγάπη μετά το γάμοl." And it was published in a Jan 20, 2010 blog titled "CityFiles: Letting them down easy (he said/she said)."

It was also published in a Jan 22, 2010 blog titled "Infidelity Doesn't Have to Mean Divorce," and a Jan 24, 2010 blog titled "Both partners need to be involved." It was also published in a Feb 5, 2010 Dutch blog titled "‘Wij’ gelukkiger dan ‘ik’." And it was published in an undated (Feb 2010) blog titled "Adult Separation Anxiety." And it was published in a Jan 30, 2010 Wikihow blog page with the same title as the caption that I used for this Flickr page. I've also discovered that it was published in a Feb 12, 2010 Canadian blog titled "We need to talk (about the history of marriage counselling)." And it was published in an undated (Mar 2010) blog titled "Communication Skill Lesson Plan." It was also published in a Mar 25, 2010 blog titled "Marital Gridlock And Growing Up." It was also published in a Mar 28, 2010 blog titled "In today’s culture, sex is public but love is private." And it was published in a Mar 30, 2010 blog titled "Professional honeymooners: dream job or nightmare?"

There's more: the photo was published in an Apr 5, 2010 blog titled "John Mayer Was Right: You Gotta Say What You Need To Say." And it was published in an Apr 6, 2010 blog titled "Miscarraiges [sic] Strain Marriages." It was also published in an Apr 8, 2010 blog titled "Why We Stay With Unfaithful Partners." And it was published in an Apr 9, 2010 blog titled "Foursquare Becomes Great Predictor Of Divorce," as well as an Apr 10, 2010 blog titled Relationship Advice | Too Immature for Relationship It was also published in an Apr 13, 2010 Italian blog titled "Uomini col Mestruo, un gruppo su Facebook smaschera i senza palle." And it was published in a May 14, 2010 Peruvian(?) blog titled "Codependencia: Cuando la propia identidad se pierde en la pareja." It was also published in a Jun 11, 2010 blog titled "Is Divorce Contagious?" It was also published in a Jun 25, 2010 blog titled "The Magic Of Making Up – Authors Overview," and a Jun 26, 2010 blog titled "The struggle for control in a relationship." A similar blog, titled "The stages of relationships: Phase 3: The power struggle," was published on Jun 28, 2010; and on the same day, the photo was published in a Trés Sugar blog titled "Finding Out Why We Fight Might Help Us Patch Things Up." It was also published in a Jun 29, 2010 Mashable blog titled "Facebook Becoming a Prime Source for Divorce Case Evidence," and I'm pretty sure that the Spanish edition of the same blog appeared on Jun 30, 2010 with a title of "Servicio gratis de mediación para divorcios en Gipuzkoa."

Moving into the second half of 2010, the photo was published in a Jul 2, 2010 blog titled " I Want My Husband To Love Me Again – 4 Ways To Rekindle Your Romance." It was also published in a Jul 8, 2010 blog about insurance, titled "How Can I Convince You?" And it was published in an undated (Jul 2010) blog titled "Adult Separation Anxiety." It was also published in a Jul 12, 2010 blog titled "Temas tabúes en las relaciones de pareja." And it was published in a Jul 14, 2010 blog titled "Initiative to Ban Divorce in California Resurfaces." It was also published in a Jul 15, 2010 Dating 1001 blog, with the same title as the caption that I used on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Jul 25, 2010 blog titled "Businesses Capitalizing on High Unemployment." And it was published in a Jul 29, 2010 blog titled "How to Deal With Financial Infidelity," as well as a Jul 29, 2010 blog titled "Words of Wisdom: Ryan Holiday. It was also published in a Sep 6, 2010 blog titled "Living together apart – Conviviendo juntos pero separados." And it was published in a Sep 15, 2010 blog titled "Is Your Debt A Relationship Killer?" It was also published in a Sep 17, 2010 blog titled "We Got Into An Argument, Part I." And it was published in a Sep 18, 2010 blog titled "Saving It." It was also published in a Sep 25, 2010 blog titled "Help Save My Marriage – What To Do." And it was published in an undated (late Sep) "Dating Advice Expert" blog titled "Marital dispute: An overview of court proceedings." It was also published in a Sep 30, 2010 blog titled "It's a Guy Thing." And it was published in an undated (Oct 2010) blog titled "Dealing with Infidelity is a Response by Couples in Trouble." It was also published in an Oct 15, 2010 Judy Cares blog titled "Is it a Marriage or a Relationship?", as well as an Oct 19, 2010 blog titled "Moving Forward in a Marriage: Forgiving the Minor Mistakes." And it was published in an Oct 26, 2010 blog titled "Relationships should be Easy and fun." It was also published in an Oct 29, 2010 blog titled "I suggested couples counseling and my fiance said “I don’t do counseling. What should I do?", and another Oct 29, 2010 blog titled "Cosas que no debes decir en una cita."

Moving into November, it was published in a Nov 2, 2010 blog titled "Justicia rechaza el 7% de las demandas de divorcio por no cumplir requisitos." It was also published in an undated (Nov 2010) blog titled "Relationship Break Up Advice – How to Save Your Broken Relationship." And it was published in a Nov 8, 2010 blog titled "Welcome to Improve Sex Life." It was also published in a Nov 15, 2010 blog titled "Question of the Week: How has chronic illness impacted your marriage?", and a Nov 16, 2010 blog titled "Lastest [sic] Debt Counseling News." And it was published in an undated (mid-Nov 2010) Lying Lovers blog titled "Recovering From Infidelity – Crucial Steps to Rebuilding Your Marriage." It was also published in an undated (late Nov 2010) blog titled "Long Distance Relationships: How to Know When it's Time to Call it Quits," and it was published in an undated (late Nov 2010) blog titled "Reconciliation is Possible with the Help of a Couples Counseling NYC Therapist." It was also published in a Dec 3, 2010 blog titled "Will Your Marriage Succeed Or Fail?", as well as a Dec 3, 2010 blog titled "Sole Sisters’ Guide to Keeping Sane While Traveling in Twos." And it was published in a Dec 6, 2010 blog titled "1 de cada 5 divorcios usan a Facebook como prueba de infidelidad." It was also published in an undated (mid-Dec 2010) Hospital Medical Billing Fraud blog titled "Do Infertile People Make Better Parents?" And it was published in a Dec 13, 2010 Polish blog titled "Kobiety kłamią inaczej niż faceci. Kto częściej?." It was also published in a Dec 27, 2010 blog titled "The Easy Way to Make Money Online Everyday." And it was published in a Dec 30, 2010 blog titled "Relationship Cues: Sensing the Unspoken." Finally, it was published in a Dec 31, 2010 blog titled "Divorced and Co-Parenting: How to Get Along With Your Ex."

Moving into 2011, the photo was first published in a Jan 2, 2011 blog titled " Importance Of Medical Insurance Plans." It was also published in a Jan 3, 2011 blog titled "Car Insurance Tips for Mature Drivers in Florida, as well as a Jan 5, 2011 Forbes.com blog titled "5 Ways Your Partner Can Ruin Your Credit." It was also published in a Jan 6, 2011 "Learn to Earn Online blog, with the same title and descriptive notes as what I had originally written on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Jan 10, 2011 blog titled "Bankruptcy Rules Review." And it was published in an undated (mid-Jan 2011) "Counseling Rehab" blog titled "4 Ways to Treat Your Addiction." It was also published in a Jan 13, 2011 blog titled "Waiting for Debt Help and Free Debt Advice?" And it was published in a Jan 15, 2011 blog titled "Online Dating Tips: How To Create A Great Profile." It was also published in a Jan 16, 2011 blog titled "Farmville Cheats And Associated Dangers," and another Jan 16, 2011 blog titled "Searching For The Fastest Way to Make Money Online?" It was also published in a Jan 17, 2010 pinkblog.it blog titled "Coppia: non perdonare il partner fa bene al rapporto." And it was published in a Jan 18, 2011 blog titled "How to Keep a Conversation Going." It was also published in a Jan 20, 2011 blog titled "5 Tips for Taking a Successful Online Dating Profile Photo." And it was published in an undated (late Jan 2011) blog titled "Why Social And Traditional Media Marketers Should Stop Acting Like Fighting Lovers." It was also published in a Jan 26, 2011 blog titled "Facebook cheating, restaurant websites and living in caves with Dinner Party Download." And it was published in an undated (late Jan 2011) blog titled "Stop Arguing Your Relationships to Death." It was also published in a Jan 30, 2011 blog titled "Ask the Readers: Hiding Money from Your Spouse."

The photo was also published in an undated (early Feb 2011) blog titled "Debt Relief Consolidation – Tips To Find Free Debt Help Online," with the caption and detailed notes that I provided on this Flickr page, followed by some more serious comments about the details of debt relief consolidation. And it was published in a Feb 8, 2011 blog titled "Female partners of heavy gamblers – victims or enablers?", and a Feb 13, 2011 blog titled "5 Sizzling Online Dating Tips." It was also published in a Feb 15, 2011 blog titled "The 1st Key for Dealing with Marital Strife," and it was published in a Feb 24, 2011 blog titled "Do You Know Your Rights?" It was also published in a Mar 8, 2011 blog titled 4 Reasons Why Open Marriage Doesnt Work," and a Mar 11, 2011 blog titled "What Do Musicians Really Earn Online?" And it was published in a Mar 16,2011 Car Insurance Companies blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. It was also published in an undated (mid-Mar 2011) Website titled Especialistas en Divorcios. And it was published in a Mar 21, 2011 blog titled "Make love, not war: enjoy travel as a couple." It was also published in an undated (late Mar 2011) blog titled "Things You Must Know About Free Debt Consolidation Services." And it was published in a Mar 24, 2011 Nice How to Make Money Online Photos blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I used on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Mar 30, 2011 blog titled "Gründe für die Eifersucht." And it was published in an Apr 7, 2011 blog titled "The Italian Language Learning," as well as an Apr 8, 2011 blog titled "How to Make People Angry," and an Apr 10, 2011 blog titled "Gründe für die Eifersucht." It was also published in an Apr 20, 2011 blog titled "6 Common mistakes that can ruin your relationship." And it was published in an undated (late Apr 2011) blog titled "Cuáles son las señales de una relación abusiva o que no es sana?", as well as an undated (late Apr 2011) blog titled "What are the Signs of an Unhealthy or Abusive Relationship?" It was also published in an Apr 26, 2011 blog titled "How To Make Your Dates More Pleasant And Enjoyable." And it was published in a May 16, 2011 blog titled "Parents Relationship Affects Quality of Children’s Sleep." It was also published in a May 23, 2011 blog titled

"Want Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night? Try Harmony in Your Relationship." And it was published in a May 27, 2011 blog titled " 'My Wife Won't Have Sex with Me' Is a Pathetic Excuse to Cheat," as well as an undated (late May 2011) blog titled "Why is it so hard to change relationships?"

It was also published in a Jun 1, 2011 blog titled "Should You Dispute a Performance Appraisal?" And it was published in a Jun 10, 2011 blog titled "Four signs you're heading for divorce," as well as a Jun 10, 2011 blog titled "Becoming a Better Woman From the Inside Out." It was also published in a Jun 11, 2011 blog titled "Discuss How To Earn Money Online," as well as a Jun 11, 2011 blog titled "The Online Dating Game On Twitter – How Does it Work?" And it was published in a Jun 22, 2011 blog titled "Mistakes in Choosing a Marriage Partner," and a Jun 22, 2011 blog titled "Anatomy of A Marital Argument." It was also published in a Jun 30, 2011 blog titled "Talk Money for Relationship Success." And it was published in a Jul 22, 2011 blog titled "Provocative Phrase Friday -- Her marriage was over + 11 Other Writing Prompts." It was also published in an undated (late Jul 2011) blog titled "Communication Skill Lesson Plan." And it was published in a Jul 31, 2011 blog titled "Rebuilding Your Marriage After An Affair." It was also published in an Aug 5,2011 Czech blog titled "Děláte dost pro Váš vztah?", as well as an Aug 5, 2011 blog titled Bankruptcy in San Antonio ? Why Me? And it was published in an Aug 6, 2011 blog titled "Wells Fargo And Wachovia Merger Is Bad News For Divorced Couple." It was also published in an Aug 15, 2011 blog titled "ACCORD report that the Internet is the fastest growing factor for marital difficulties in Ireland - but is that the full story?" And it was published in an Aug 19, 2011 blog titled "Why Senior Citizens Need To Get Reliable Travel Insurance." It was also published in an Aug 24, 2011 blog titled "Vrouwen winnen de meeste rubies." And it was published in an Aug 30, 2011 blog titled "BILL GROSS: Global Economy Is Like A Marriage "Teetering On The Edge Of Divorce"."

Moving on, the photo was published in a Sep 5, 2011 blog with the curious title of "Gnats' farts and gender" at vickihollett-dot-com-slash-?p=3957". It was also published in a Sep 5, 2011 blog titled "Separated Chileans opt for unconventional living arrangements," as well as a Sep 5, 2011 blog titled "Děláte dost pro Váš vztah?." It was also published in an undated (early Sep 2011) blog titled "Adult Separation Anxiety." And it was published in a Sep 14, 2011 blog titled "It's Not Just About Spanking." It was also published (though I have no idea why) in an Oct 6, 2011 blog titled "San Antonio Storage." It was also published in a Nov 11, 2011 blog titled "La ansiedad por la separación es un trastorno cada vez mas frecuente en nuestros hijos0." And it was published in a Nov 16, 2011 blog titled "Poll: Balancing two ambitious careers." It was also published in a Nov 21, 2011 blog titled "Von Vertrauen und Misstrauen." And it was published in a Nov 23, 2011 blog titled "When Is It Time To Move On From A Relationship," and a Nov 23, 2011 Faith Village blog titled "How to Fight Fairly." It was also published in a Nov 28, 2011 blog titled "5 Questions To Ask Yourself To See If You'll Need A Pre-Nup." And it was published in a Dec 2, 2011 blog titled "Renting a Car in Ireland?", as well as a Dec 5, 2011 blog titled "Relationship Quotes," and another Dec 5, 2011 blog titled "Phrases to Avoid in Conversation – What Not to Say During a Fight with Your Beloved." It was also published in a Dec 6, 2011 blog titled "Single Parents - Dating and Family Strife."

Moving into 2012, the photo was published in a Jan 2, 2012 blog titled "? Why? ? Auto insurance cos? vile? expensive in the UK?", as well as a Jan 2, 2012 blog titled "I'm 33 years old with a second DUI. What's the best way to go about a job search?", and a Jan 2,2012 blog titled "Ask LH: How Do I Get Out Of An Argument With An Irrational Person?" It was also published in a Jan 4,2012 blog titled "Procurment Homes Need not " Dress" Good?" And it was published in an undated (early Jan 2012) Death Note Wallpaper blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. It was also published in an undated (early Jan 2012) blog titled "Adult Separation Anxiety."

Also, the photo was published in an Apr 19, 2012 blog titled "What's Your Deal-Breaker?" It was also published in an Apr 23, 2012 blog titled "When An Over-Spender Ruins Someone You Love." And it was published in an Apr 27, 2012 blog titled "“Solo lei vuole un figlio”… quando il desiderio di genitorialità non è condiviso," as well as an Apr 27, 2012 blog titled "ANGLO-ITALIAN Experience Their First Travel “Discussion” – FOLLOW UP." It was also published in a May 2, 2012 blog titled "Morar junto antes de casar aumenta chances de divórcio, aponta estudo," as well as a May 2, 2012 blog titled Τι είναι και τι δεν είναι σταυρός στην οικογένεια." It was also published in a May 16, 2012 blog titled "Why You Shouldn’t Have Sex with Your Roommate," as well as a May 25, 2012 blog titled "What is a MA declaration of homestead?" It was also published in a May 9, 2012 blog titled " Annulment vs. Legal Separation: 3 Differences You Should Know About." And it was published in a Jun 10, 2012 blog titled "How To Improve Your Relationships ." It was also published in a Jun 13, 2012 blog titled "15 Relationship Truths for Tough Times." And it was published in a Jun 22, 2012 blog titled "Episode 116 Should Parents Fight in Front of their Kids?," as well as a Jun 23, 2012 Gigazine blog titled "アイデアはどこからやって来るのか？という20項目" (which means, I think, "where do ideas come from?") It was also published in a Jun 22, 2012 blog titled "Reconnecting Depressed Partners Despite Fear and Shame," and a Jun 23, 2012 blog titled "Commitment-Phobic Employers Do Their Best to Mimic Your Ex-Boyfriend."

Moving into 2013, the photo was published in an early Jan 2013 blog titled "Jesteś inny niż kiedyś." It was also published in a Jan 16, 2013 blog titled "Can a collection agency garnish your wages? in california?" It was also published in a Jan 28, 2013 blog titled "US-California: E ‘can temporarily change the withholding tax on wages for a period of 2 months?" And it was published in a Feb 14, 2013 blog titled "New Gender Studies minor has major plans for the future." It was also published in a Feb 20, 2013 blog titled "Time to Succumb." And it was published in a Mar 6, 2013 blog titled "Ten Steps to Healthy Fighting in a Relationship," as well as a Mar 8, 2013 blog titled "Para não brigar com as mulheres, maioria dos homens prefere mudar de opinião, diz pesquisa."

Mural entitled "Deja Vu" by Marcus Grabs aka @granster for AOTA Fest 2025, seen at 710 NW 5th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Bergen, September 2007.

It took me some time to get rid of the safety filter settings ... Apologies to my contacts (be careful with these setttings yourselves).

View On Black

Mural entitled "The Talk" by Carl E. Moore aka @carle.moore and Christine Moore for Paint Memphis 2021, seen at 158 East Carolina Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.

Photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee

This piece will be included in a solo exhibit entitled “Find Your Wings” at Art Star Gallery in Philadelphia in August:

For her solo exhibition at Art Star Gallery in Philadelphia, Amy focuses in on the 5th line of the 6 line artist statement she has used and lived by for the past decade:

Grow Flowers

Ride a Bike

Love an Animal

Learn Something New

Find Your Wings

Make Art of it All

Find You Wings: New Painting by Amy Rice

"In the past few years I have had the joy of witnessing the dramatic change that can happen in an individual when they discover and embrace their personal calling or passion. From artists living with disabilities that overcame great obstacles and through their art have become the voice of a new movement, to friends that have decided 30 is not too old to take up an instrument and end up living their rock star dream, to my siblings who have ecstatically embraced and completely kick ass at their rolls as parents. This series of new work, “Find Your Wings” celebrates the beauty of discovering that which makes one soar." –Amy Rice

www.artstarphilly.com/

In May, 2006, Karen and I toured The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. One of our stops was Cobh, The image is of the steep hill, known as 'The Deck of Cards", which is situated below St. Colman's cathedral at Cobh

From my set entitled “Cobh”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157603955529968/

In my collection entitled “Ireland”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760395...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobh

To check footnotes appearing below, please click the Wikipedia link

Cobh (Pronounced "cove") is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland.

The locality, which had had several different Irish-language names, was first referred to as Cove ("The Cove of Cork") in 1750. It was renamed Queenstown in 1849 to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria and so remained until the name Cobh (closer to the Irish spelling) was restored in 1922 with the foundation of the Irish Free State.

Cobh is located on the south shore of the Great Island in Cork Harbour, (reputed to be the second largest natural harbour in the world), on south-facing slopes overlooking the entrance to the harbour. Facing the town of Cobh are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island. On a high point in the town stands the Cobh Cathedral, St. Colman's, seat of the diocese of Cloyne.

According to legend, one of the first colonists of Ireland was Neimheidh, who landed in Cork Harbour over 1000 years BC[citation needed] He and his followers were said to have been wiped out in a plague, but the Great Island was known in Irish as Oilean Ard Neimheadh because of its association with him. Later it became known as Crich Liathain because of the Lehane tribe who were rulers of it[citation needed]. The island subsequently became known as Oilean Mor An Barra, (the Great Island of Barry & Barrymore) after the Barry family who inherited it.

The village on the island was known as Ballyvoloon, overlooking "The Cove" and this was first referred to as Cove village in 1750 by Smith the historian who said "it was inhabited by seamen and revenue officials". The Cork directory of 1787 shows about thirty businesses in the town including one butcher and one draper. The Water Club established at Haulbowline in 1720 was the progenitor of the present Royal Cork Yacht Club (now based in Crosshaven) and is the oldest yacht club in the world. The Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) was based for many years in Cobh and the present Sirius Arts Centre was formerly a clubhouse of the RCYC organisation. In 1966 the Royal Cork Yacht Club merged with the Royal Munster Yacht Club, retaining the name of the RCYC but moving its headquarters to those of the RMYC at Crosshaven at the other side of the harbour.

Cobh is well served by pubs and hostelries. The oldest recorded pub on the island is reputed to have been the "Anti Gallicon" situated in the Holy Ground, and apparently liable to flooding when the tide came in. This pub dated back to the 1780s and was named after opponents to the French "Gallicon" faction who opposed the powers of the Pope

Cove underwent rapid development in the early 1800s assisted by world events. Due to its naturally protected harbour Cobh has historically been important as a tactical base for naval military bases. For instance, Cobh was of major tactical military importance as a naval base during the Napoleonic wars between France and England. Today, the Irish Naval Service is based on Haulbowline island facing Cobh.

The Napoleonic Wars meant the town became a British Naval port with its own admiral and much of the present day buildings were built. The cessation of hostilities dented its prosperity for a time but it became widely known as a health resort and many convalescents came to Cove to avail of its temperate climate. Amongst these was Rev. Charles Wolfe who wrote the "Burial of Sir John Moore at Corunna" and is buried in the Old Church Cemetery outside the town.

One of the major transatlantic Irish ports, Cobh was the departure point for 2.5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. On 11 April 1912 Queenstown was the final port of call for the RMS Titanic as she set out across the Atlantic on her ill-fated maiden voyage. Local lore has it that a Titanic crew member John Coffey, a native of Queenstown, jumped ship although there is no record of him on the crew list. 123 passengers boarded in all; only 44 survived the sinking.

Cobh was also a major disembarkation port for men, women and children who were deported to penal colonies such as Australia. The records of such deportations can be found in the ship log books in the Cobh Museum, which since 1973 is housed in Scots church (Presbyterian church until 1969 closure) overlooking the harbour.

Due to its maritime advantages, a significant shipbuilding industry developed in Cobh and the remnants of the Verolme Shipyard today maintain many of the original cranes and hoists which now form part of the significant industrial and maritime heritage of Cobh which is considered to have major tourism potential. Underutilised dockyards in Holland (e.g. NDSM/Stichting Kinetisch Noord in Amsterdam which has been redeveloped as an artistic and cultural centre and where MTV has since located) and other European countries are now emerging as major hubs of cultural and economic development, focussing on fostering creative class and knowledge-intensive industries such as media and computing. [1]. The Verolme Shipyard currently contains the Philip Gray Gallery of Fine Art [2].

The original pier (as it appeared in 2007) that passengers used to board ferries to get to the Titanic—which was anchored near the mouth of Cobh harbour.

The age of steam brought famous achievements to Cobh, most notably the first steam ship to sail from Ireland to England (1821) and the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic (Sirius 1838) which left from Passage West. In 1849 the name of the town was changed to Queenstown to honour Queen Victoria who visited Ireland in that year.

Several other notable ships are associated with the town, including the Cunard passenger liner RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat off the Old Head of Kinsale while en route to Liverpool in on May 7, 1915. 1198 passengers died, while 700 were rescued. The survivors and victims were brought to the town of Cobh, and over one hundred lie buried in the Old Church Cemetery just north of the town. The Lusitania Peace memorial is located in Casement Square opposite the arched building housing the Cobh Library and Courthouse.

During World War I, Queenstown was a naval base for British and American destroyers operating against U-boats that preyed upon allied merchant vessels. The first division of American destroyers arrived in May 1917, and the sailors who served on those vessels were the first American servicemen in combat duty in the war. When the convoy arrived in port, after a rough passage in what were little more than open boats, they were met with a great crowd of sailors and townspeople, thankful for their help in stopping the U-boats that were blockading western Europe. The British Commodore met the captain of the American flagship by jumping onto the dock, and asked him how soon the weather-beaten American ships could be put to use. "We're ready now, sir!" was the widely quoted answer from the Captain.

Due to its tactical military importance, under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921 the port remained a UK sovereign base, see Treaty Port. Along with the other Treaty ports it was handed over to the government of the Irish Free State in 1938.

The population of the Cobh area has increased greatly in recent times with large new housing estates established on the outskirts of the town, placing severe pressures on the transport infrastructure. The town boundary has not yet reflected these changes in order to accommodate the new housing developments.

According to the 2006 Census, the combined population of Cobh and Great Island was 12,887. The former farmlands of Cobh have been extensively developed in recent years, with a large amount of housing estates being built in areas such as Rushbrooke and Carrignafoy. Cobh is gradually becoming a satellite town to the nearby Cork City, and has a dynamic (and international) commuter population as can be evidenced on the hourly commuter train service to Cork city.

Haulbowline Island which faces Cobh town is the headquarters of the Irish Naval Service, formerly a British naval station.

Cobh was home to Ireland's only steelworks, the former state-owned Irish Steel works which was closed by its buyer, Ispat International, in 2001. There is a controversy over the slag heap on the steelworks, where there are concerns that it may be leaching into the harbour[3].

Tourism is a large employer in Cobh. Large cruise liners visit Cobh each year, mainly during the summer months, although many of the tourists are transported out of Cobh by bus to other tourist destinations.

Another important employer in Cobh had been the Dutch-owned Verolme Cork Dockyard, in Rushbrooke. It opened in 1960 and ceased operations in the mid-1980s. In 1981 the mvLeinster was built at Verolme for service on the Dublin – Holyhead route [4] The last ship built at Verolme was the Irish Naval Service's LÉ Eithne (P31) [5]. Some ship repair work is still carried at Rushbrooke using the impressive drydock[1] and other facilities. The drydock pumps are reputed to date from 1912.

Post Processing:

PhotoShop elements 5" light/shadow balance, multiply, posterize, rough pastels, sandstone filter

Topaz: vibrance

Mural entitled "The Blossoming of Trust" by Huariu aka @huariu, seen at 937 Orange Street in Jacksonville, Florida.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "Long Live" by Johann Avendano aka @johann_art, seen at 318 NW 25th Street in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami, Florida.

Drone photo by James aka @urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "Warchild" by DYTCH 66 aka @dytch66, seen at 3453 Union Pacific Avenue in Los Angeles, California.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

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Mural entitled "The Space Between" by Ally Grimm aka @a.i._grime for SprayseeMO 2025, seen at 1407 West 11th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.

The artist states: "'The Space Between' creates conversation around the passage of Time (represented through the male figure “Saturn”) and the search for Truth or Unconcealment (represented through the female figure “VERITAS”). As a resilient Saturn reflects stoically on the past, VERITAS looks hopefully towards a future in which righteousness leads communities forward // Around them, the Sun and Moon cycle, representing the inevitable passage of Time.

In an age where “old” often has a negative connotation, my hope is that we can carry on Veritas’ legacy of accountability and consideration. that we can learn to respect and preserve history without compromising on innovation. Time never stops moving, but we can choose how we value quality, history, and creation. When humans can learn to detach from an addiction to convenience, we can learn to take pride in process, honor the inevitability of time, and appreciate the gifts of the present moment."

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

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This photograph was published in an online article entitled '' 10 PHOTOGRAPHS THAT WILL PULL AT YOUR HEARTSTRINGS '' on LOBSTER IT Limited based in Islington High Street, London.

Photograph taken at an altitude of Zero metres, in the golden hour around sunrise at 06:02am on Sunday 16th March 2014 opposite Marine Parade and Adventure Island, just West of the old Pier, on the muddy shoreline of Southend on Sea, Essex, England.

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©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®

No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©

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Nikon D800 27mm 1/320s f/2.8 iso200 Mirror Up RAW (14-bit)Exposure Compensation -1.7EV. Matrix metering. Manual exposuree mode. AF-S Single point.

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED IF. Jessops 77mm UV filter. Nikon MB-D12 battery grip. Two Nikon EN-EL 15 batteries. Nikon GP-1 GPS unit. Nikon MC-DC2 remote shutter release cable. Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece. Hoodman HGEC soft eyecup. Manfrotto MT057C3 057 Carbon Fiber Tripod 3 Sections (Payload 18kgs). Manfrotto MH057M0-RC4 057 Magnesium Ball Head with RC4 Quick Release (Payload 15kgs). Manfrotto quick release plate 410PL-14. Jessops Tripod bag. Optech Tripod Strap. Digi-Chip 64GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDXC. Lowepro Transporter camera strap. Lowepro Vertex 200 AW camera bag

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LATITUDE: N 51d 31m 54.14s

LONGITUDE: E 0d 43m 3.81s

ALTITUDE: 0.0m

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 103.00MB

PROCESSED FILE: 12.14MB

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Processing power:

HP Pavillion Desktop with AMD A10-5700 APU PROCESSOR. HD graphics. 2TB with 8GB RAM. 64-bit Windows 8.1. VERBATIM USB 2.0 1TB Desktop Hard drive. NIKON VIEWNX2 Version 2.90 64bit. ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8 Version 8.0 64bit

I entitled this, "Ready For Demolition," but it was demolished a week ago - it's now an empty lot. Guess they're making way for something new. This was taken on Oretha Haley Blvd., New Orleans

Rolleiflex 3.5 MX EVS

75mm Xenar lens

Ilford FP4

Delaware Ave, North of Bloor, Toronto ON 6 Dec 2025.

From my set entitled “Escarpment” (under development)

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157608204080206/

In my collection entitled “Halton”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760820...

In my photostream

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/

Reproduced from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Escarpment

The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. It is composed of the Lockport geological formation of Silurian age, and is similar to the Onondaga geological formation, which runs parallel to it and just to the south, through the western portion of New York and southern Ontario. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over which the Niagara River plunges to form Niagara Falls, for which it is named.

The Niagara Escarpment is the most prominent of several escarpments formed in the bedrock of the Great Lakes. It is traceable from its easternmost point in New York State, starting well east of the Genesee River Valley near Rochester, creating one large and two small waterfalls on the Genesee River in that city, thence running westwards to the Niagara River forming a deep gorge north of Niagara Falls, which itself cascades over the escarpment. In Southern Ontario it stretches along the Niagara Peninsula hugging close to the Lake Ontario shore near the cities of St. Catharines and Hamilton and Milton where it takes a sharp turn north toward Georgian Bay. It then follows the Georgian Bay shore northwestwards to form the spine of the Bruce Peninsula, Manitoulin, St. Joseph Island and other islands located in northern Lake Huron where it turns westerwards into the Upper Peninsula of northern Michigan, south of Sault Ste. Marie. It then extends southwards into Wisconsin following the Door Peninsula and then more inland from the western coast of Lake Michigan and Milwaukee ending northwest of Chicago near the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

In February 1990, the Niagara Escarpment was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, making it one of 12 in Canada. Development and land use adjacent to the escarpment is regulated and the biosphere protected by the Niagara Escarpment Commission, an agency of the Ontario government.

All Mothers are entitled to some time-off and when kids become persistent they have to be shown their rightful place.

Female Lioness telling off her young cub who is insistent on feeding.

Photographed in the Marsh Area of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya.

Mural entitled "Vagabundo" by Jair Rodriguez Alvarez aka @jairrarte for Paint Memphis 2021, seen seen at 104 East Carolina Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee.

The artist states: "(This was) inspired by a poem by David Catalán about his parents traveling from Mexico to the United States to start a new life."

Photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

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Mural entitled "The Larger Self" by Stefan Ways aka @stefanways seen at 2145 North Broadway in the 5 Points area of Denver, Colorado.

Photo by James aka @urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

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A sculpture entitled Perhaps (An Investigation Outside the Laws of Thought) which was temporary positioned in 2016 alongside Brayford Pool in Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

It was created by New Delhi-based Raqs Media Collective and it was inspired by George Boole, the Lincoln-born mathematician whose work laid the theoretical foundations for the digital age. It was commissioned by Gymnasium, the contemporary art commissioning programme that presents new works in public locations.

The artwork, composed of two interlocking arcs coated in a sheer reflective surface which mirrors both the structure itself and the surrounding water and foliage. Two arcs rise and fall by the water of the Brayford Pool, facing the University of Lincoln. Coated by a sheer reflective surface, the two arcs mirror each other, the water and their environs, creating an illusion of a fold in space, a thickening of air.

Lincoln was George Boole’s birthplace. He must have walked by Brayford Pool, asking questions that needed answers in yes, no, and perhaps, perhaps. This work remembers those moments outside the boundaries of yes and no, just outside the limits placed by the laws of thought.

www.visitlincoln.com/blog/boole-sculpture-on-the-brayford.

Mural entitled "Sounds of Small Creatures" by Joy Hernandez aka @joythestampede located on the Monkey's Tale property at 925 East Westfield Boulevard in the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis, Indiana.

The artist states: "This one has a Carl Sagan-inspired story. The north wall, the one finished today, is “Sounds of Small Creatures,” and is Bean the Astronaut playing the gold record that Sagan had attached to Voyager (one record is spinning, here). The record had imagery on it to show how to play it and where we are located triangulated off of pulsars. The record contained sounds...of us. Music from around the world, speech, sounds from the planet were all on it. Sagan called us, humans, “small creatures,” because, in comparison with all that is out there, we are really very small.

Photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee

Mural entitled "Usagi" by Jose Mertz aka @josemertz, seen at 748 NW 5th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "Remembering Sleepy Lagoon" by Tetriswai aka @tetriswai and Deity Art aka @deityart, model is @missjoliepapillon, seen at the Del Amo Plaza, 2787 East Del Amo Boulevard in Rancho Dominguez, California.

The "Sleepy Lagoon murder" was the name that Los Angeles newspapers used to describe the 1942 death of José Gallardo Díaz, who was discovered unconscious and dying near a swimming hole that locals called he Sleepy Lagoon.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "Feathered Wolf" by Farid Rueda aka @farid_rueda seen in the Wynwood Outdoor Museum in Miami, Florida.

Photo by James aka @urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

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Mural entitled "New Beginnings" by Melanie Posner aka @therealmelpoz for Shine Mural Festival 2018, seen at 4139 7th Terrace South in St Petersburg, Florida.

Photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee

The Silken whisper of Flickering Desires

A Chronicle

Adapted from the Final Entry Entitled:

Their Regal Gambit

Subtitled:

While Sherlock Holmes vacationed

The first score had been made, now for the Coup de Grace! So far their little operation had gone as smooth as silk, or in this case, satin. Now just to make sure the husband of the silken gowned brunette displaying the jewels in question was still safely out of the picture! Then Mollie would let her husband know that with the coast clear, freeing him to stage his approach of the lady in the long swishing satin gown he had been keeping an eye on all evening. The one who was wearing the exquisite necklace of fiery flickering diamonds, just daring someone to expertly slip it away the throat of its unsuspecting owner.

And therein lay the rub, She happily thought….

As Mollie made her way down the quiet corridor to the gentlemen’s smoking lounge, she lovingly played through her mind the series of unfortunate ( or fortunate?) events that had led her and her husband to this place. It had all began with an innocent one named Tabitha…….

Mollies’ Flash back

They had first come across Tabitha at a resort casino deep in the Catskills. Mollie and her husband had been there about three days, scoping out the grounds, and its wealthy clientele. At the casino they both spotted Tabitha at the same time. She was seated at a baccarat table, really standing out in an elegant dress of gold and black striped silk and velvet Her well-toned body displayed numerous pieces of expensive jewelry. A fat little purse dangled, unheeded by her side. Tabitha had held Mollie’s attention mainly due to the strong resemblance she had to herself. Tabitha’s jewelry, a flashy diamond journey style necklace, matching earrings, wide diamond tennis bracelet, and multiple gem encrusted rings, had held Mollies pickpocket husbands’.

Mollie went on to the bar and watched as her husband waited for the seat next to Tabitha to become vacant. Then he sat, asking for chips, while unobtrusively eyeing Tabitha’s bracelet. He began striking up a conversation with Tabitha, finding her to be an easy mark. He soon learned from the chatty girl that she was a divorced, upper executive for a well-known digital arts company servicing the movie industry. It was during this conversation that Tabitha babbled about the upscale, invitation only(you know), black tie formal ball she would be attending in England the next month. Now, as her husband was keeping Tabitha occupied Mollie had walked by the pair, ‘tripping’ into her husband, who palmed off to her , the diamond bracelet which had been ever so subtly slipped from around the unwary Tabatha’s’ wrist. Walking away with the bracelet secured in her purse, Mollie made her way to their small bungalow. Her husband did not break in his conversation with Tabitha; a mark would seldom suspect a friendly person of stealing from her.

Later that evening, Mollie wore the pricy bracelet while mutually admiring it over a bottle of merlot with her husband. They discussed the high-class affair Tabitha had been bragging about. Wistfully, Mollie admitted it was a shame they had not received an invite. Her husband smiled, and pulled a thickly embossed and crested envelope from his pocket. Easily adopting a British accent, he said “The silly little twit was carrying this in her purse!” The envelope revealed a pair of invitations to the Princess’s Jubilee Royal Ball. As the pair continued to empty the bottle of fine merlot, what had started as speculation, turned towards reality, and soon plans had been laid.

As they lay in bed later that night, Mollie turned to her husband, just think about the jewels that will be worn at the English Ball, she shivered with the delightful thoughts. Do you remember the last time we were in England? Mollie looked at her husband slyly, you remember, the Wriggling Whelp Whispering Wisk! She stated teasingly. Mollie knew the quickest way to get her husband’s goat was coming up with silly phrases to describe his more outlandish endeavors. Such phrases like The Tingling Touch Ice Melt, The Slippery Slick Taffeta Pull, The Glossy Gowned Dangling Peel, or her personal favorite, The Ticklish Wedge Clam Dip, never failed to get a response. In this case the response was a brief pillow fight leading into a romantic interlude, ending up with them in bed as they reminisced about the last time they had “visited” England a few years back…..

It had proven a fairly profitable venture with the jewelry alone netting almost 100,000 pounds. It all had culminated quite nicely at one of the posh events they had crashed that final weekend. Their final score had come about from a rambunctious doe eyed Fourteen year old in a shiny dress who had been oblivious to the valuably delicious gold pendent studded with small rubies and emeralds that sparkled ever so invitingly as it swung from her throat. A pair of matching dangling earrings dripped from her ears as she has run around unminded by her elders. Mollie had indignantly stated to her husband that the antique trinkets were simply just too expensive for a child so squirminly young to be trusted with. Her husband then went about the task to prove his wife correct in her statement.

After talking a bit about the English Girls parents reaction to the unsolved disappearance of their daughters ultra-pricey pendent , Mollie came back to the present and asked if the lady in the maroon silk that her husband pointed out the previous evening would be wearing the same jewels to the dance tomorrow night? Or better her husband replied sleepily, good Mollie pronounced, I did like her emeralds.

In Merry Ole England

They had arrived in England several weeks before the Royal Ball and began the preparations.

In an irony of fate, the profit they had realized from poor Tabitha’s bracelet had paid for a large chunk of their little excursion. Keeping his accent, and adding a trim beard, Mollies husband looked radically different from the man Tabitha had encountered. During the weeks following their arrival, the pair had practiced like they always did before undertaking a new venture. But this time it was with a more daring edge, they quite simply could not afford being caught red handed in a foreign country. Mollie assumed her practice the role. That of the richly dressed, well jeweled quarry. Her husband would stalk and attempt to relieve her of a piece of her jewelry as she went about her business, shopping! The idea being that, If he was able to do so without being caught by an obviously aware Mollie, than he should have no problem at the Royal Ball. As it usually happened when they practiced in this manner, her husband did incredibly well. Mollie had had several pieces of jewelry vanish from her person during the week, without her noticing how or when.

The final night of practice Mollie decided to dress to kill. Looking quite devastating in a glossy gold halter and a long brown velvet skirt with gold stiletto heels clicking as she moved. A diamond heart pendant hung down from her neck, swaying provocatively out from between her breasts. A bracelet, similar to Tabitha’s purloined diamonds, was wrapped around her wrist.

She left their penthouse and made her way to the street outside. Some type of festival was going on as she waded through the crowded streets to the nightclub. Her rings sparkled as they kept rhythm with her swaying diamond waterfall earrings. Just daring her husband to make a move for any of them.

Mollie drank and danced the night away with no hide or hair of her husband until she returned late that evening to their apartment. She found him in the hot tub, smirking. She undressed and joined him. Okay, how did u do it she demanded? I felt nothing, no one bumped or brushed against me all evening that I was not aware of. He opened his fist, allowing her heart diamond pendant to dangle freely in front of her. A magician never reveals his tricks my little cat, he purred, as the pendant swayed in a sparkling arch.

Cat was short for “Cat Lady”, a moniker he had placed upon her when she had broken into a sleeping woman’s room and removed the jewels from her gold case, and even managed to slip off a ring she was wearing. The fact that she was passed out in a drunken stupor, still dressed in her long party gown, didn’t count , or so her husband teased.

You should have been a surgeon! , my dear, Mollie exclaimed with pride. Then she leaned towards him, her green eyes gleaming in earnest, time for a real practice run Mon Cherie, she said in dead seriousness. Then Her eyes opened wide, I got it she exclaimed, I’ll call it The Slinking Sneaky Shearing Snag she pronounced joyfully, getting a face full of water in reply to her effort. Okay Cat, let’s get down to business he retorted, I know just the affair. Mollie listened intensively as her Husband described their next plans, derived while eavesdropping on a couple of ladies shopping in a jewelers.

The next weekend (two weeks to the evening before the Royal Ball) Mollie found herself at a quaint upscale wedding reception held in the large gardens of a country church. She was attired in the same bewitching ensemble that she had been wearing on the final night of practice. Her only jewels were a recently acquired pair of sparkly cascading earrings set with emeralds and diamonds. The affair of the plump piqued peacock plucking she had mused while getting dressed. The only other exception was that the long fiery red hair she had inherited from her Irish namesake grandmother had been cut and dyed blond. Blue contacts had also been added to the disguise to hide her vivid green eyes.

They soon targeted an older jewel laden snob at the reception. An older lady , well jeweled, of the arrogant know it all, obey me totally type whom everyone tries to avoid. While Mollie engaged the mark in a mostly one sided conversation(the older ladies) the lady had become so deeply engrossed about talking about herself and her ties with royalty, that she never detected being relieved of a heirloom antique gold chain and jeweled pendent by Mollies husband who had approached her unnoticed from behind.

It was all Mollie could do no to bring attention to it by looking at the wickedly expensive piece as it was slipped up and away from the Dowager’s ruffled heavy satin blouse.

This time it was mollies turn to keep chatting as her husband headed to the door. He had almost made it when two youths ran into him as they scurried away from a rather sullen looking tween girl they had been teasing, and now were in possession of her purse. Mollie stole a look as she saw her husband topple onto the chasing girl. He managed to extracted himself from the girls long slinky gown that she had probably been forced into by an overly conceited mother. He apologized, and left the girl to go after her antagonizes. Later, when Mollie had caught up to him she teased him about his clumsiness. He just smiled, and pulled out from his vest pocket the most exquisitely matched pearls that the youth had been openly displaying from around her throat and wrist at the reception!

They were, most definitely, ready. The fated evening could not come soon enough. But it finally did.

They had had no problem with using the fancy invitations to gain entrance. Security was heavy, as expected, but with a very lax atmosphere. Mollie was wearing the salmon coloured gown she had had especially made for such occasions, her new blond hair style and the blue contacts. In a coup foray of sorts, Mollie wore the pearls that had been taken by her husband during his run in with the sullen girl at the wedding reception. Her husband was wearing his usual tux with a hand tied bowtie. His ruffled sleeves easily moved up and down along his wrists.

Mollie and her husband split up, each spending the first few hours mingling solo, and taking it all in as they thoroughly enjoyed the Ball and all its many stimulating attractions. It had gone smooth as silk. Spending the first few hours prowling while the guests liquored up Mollie scoping out exactly the right candidates. Dangling jewels with easy clasps were everywhere!, it was surprising how the best of jewel makers skimped on the clasps required to keep the expensive pieces in place. Clothing also made a difference. Silks and satins were quiet and slipped easily. Taffeta could be whispery, more of a challenge. Velvet could easily snag as a piece was being lifted. But these were the costliest of materials, and the wearers would logically be wearing the costlier of jewelry.

Mollie and her husband regrouped several hours later, unobtrusively under the pretense of dancing. Gently discussing their plans. They settled on three likely prospects amongst the almost three hundred present. The first was an older spinster type wearing a luxurious dress of embroidered navy silk and displaying jewelry studded with diamonds and sapphires. The second was a middle aged snotty blonde wearing a shamelessly low cut green silk taffeta gown (which Mollie secretly liked)wearing a thick gold bracelet studded with vulgarly large rubies surrounded by a sea of small sparkly diamonds. She was alone, and a heavy drinker. The third was a longshot. A lanky , flighty brunette wearing immensely valuable jewels of blindingly sparkling Diamonds. Her necklace alone was in the upper hundred thousand range, with a clasp that was one of the easiest to coax open. The only problem was that she came with an obviously newlywed husband who doted on her every move. Both were heavy drinkers, and if he would only leave his wife’s side for, say about fifteen minutes, the necklace would be theirs!

They had decided that any one of the three would produce results worth a king’s ransom, appropriately enough, all things considered. The plan was for her husband to take his time selecting the easiest jewel to acquire from amongst the ones the three marks were displaying , make his move, and pass it off to Mollie who would leave forthwith, while her husband stayed a little while longer to make sure everything remained calm before making his exit stage right via the hallway.

As Mollie went to her station, she saw the Blue silken lady, along with her sapphires and diamonds, leaving with a rather unsavory looking male, eyeing her with a look Mollie knew all too well. Mollie decided to follow them, thinking to herself that some women are just prone to being victimized. Good luck with that one Mollie thought unkindly, as she stole one last look at the ladies glistening sapphires, hope he leaves her with something she sarcastically wished wickedly to the couple’s backside as they went out the exit at the end of the hall. One down and out she thought. Then she spied the husband of the newlywed pair heading down the hall towards her with an older, grey bearded man. Getting close she heard them talking about the Gentlemen’s smoking lounge. Mollie decided to give her husband a signal, but when she found him he was already in the arms of the blond. Molly immediately noticed the absence of the jeweled bracelet from his partners’ wrist. She went back to her table. Immediately she was set upon by some drunken snob asking her to dance. She allowed herself to be taken up into his arms. Spending a few unenchanting minutes with Mr. two left feet, before her husband tapped him on the shoulder cutting in. They danced, Mollie placing a hand into his pocket and feeling something cold and metal wrapped her hand around it. Looking him in the eyes she told him about the now unguarded bride, as she palmed the willowy blonde’s bracelet. They decided to go for it, and as the music ended, Mollie made her way to the hall, where she secreted the blondes bracelet safely away

One down, one more to go! An exquisite necklace of flickering diamonds waiting to be nimbly slipped away from the throat of its unsuspecting wearer. Now just to make sure the husband of the silken gowned brunette displaying the jewels in question was still safely out of the picture! Then to let her husband know that with the coast clear, he was free to stage his approach of the lady in the long swishing satin gown he had been keeping a drooling eye on all evening. The one wearing the exquisite necklace of flickering diamonds waiting to be so expertly slipped away from the throat of its unsuspecting wearer.

She was able to see the groom in windowed room, the husband and his friend were smoking a pair of long cigars and drinking brandy in large glass snifters. Mollie passed unnoticed as she mad e her way to the ladies powder room. He was still there, only halfway through a long stogie as she passed again on her way back. Neither time was she observed. Mollie mad her way back to the Ballroom. She sat down at one side of the room, once again allowing the sights of so many bejeweled women to soak in. Her husband was dancing with a lady in a flowing red ball gown, jewels sparkling in abundance, not aware of the danger so close at hand, nor that even with her husband and his particular skill set so close to them, that at that moment nothing could be safer from his fingertips. Finally she caught her husband’s eye. Mollie innocently rubbed a finger along the side of her nose, a subtle signal that it was safe for him to precede.

Mollie was now uncharacteristically having butterflies in her stomach; it was a huge gamble, trying to get away with a pair of thefts in this inhospitable atmosphere. She kept second guessing herself, Bird in hand she kept thinking. But the lure was too great, and it was with a heavy sigh of relief when Mollie saw her husband finally kiss the hand of the young bride after their dance. Mollie could see that she was no longer sporting the thin silver necklace and its row of at least two caret diamonds that had been encircling her throat with their rippling flashy brilliance all evening. Molly stayed put, not daring to leave until her husband had brushed by her in passing and made his way out the hallway to the exit. She waited for a long fifteen minutes, then curling her hand around the necklace that had been dropped into her lap as he had passed; she gained the safety of the hallway. Just in time. For coming down the hallway was none other than the lady in the long luxurious gown and now bare throats groom and his distinguished looking friend. She passed by them, feeling the men eyeing her with roving wolfish gazes. Then she passed them, and proceeded unhindered to once again enter the ladies’ powder room where the necklace soon joined with the Blondes bracelet in its hiding spot.. Than calmly Mollie left, walking past two security Bobbies, virtually unnoticed. The Groom had been absolutely ignorant to the fact that his young Bride’s ridiculously valuable necklace had walked right past him out the door.

Mollie did not let herself really breathe until she had gained the safety of the street. She allowed herself to imagine the commotion as the news of the missing jewels were circulated around the cavernous Ballroom. There would be a flurry of activity, flashes and sparkles as the women checked themselves reassuringly that they were still in possession of their trinkets. Mollie would have loved to have stayed and watched, but obviously could not do so. She rejoined her husband at their meeting place and they drove off. They made their way to Ireland where they spent a cautious week touring before leaving for the states.

Once the profit was realized from their haul that eventful evening, including obnoxious Dowagers the jeweled antique pendent, and was added in to the modest amount they had already accumulated from previous adventures, Mollie and her husband were able to retire to Ireland and live quite an unpretentious life together in a small stone manor in the woods.

Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives

From my set entitled “My Town…Streetsville”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157600421957589/

In my collection entitled “Places”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760074...

In my photostream

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/

Reproduced from “Streetsville Business Improvement Association” website

www.villageofstreetsville.com/

In 1818 the last remaining tract along the banks of the Credit River was ceded to the British Government.

Timothy Street, a resident of Niagara Township, was given the task of surveying the final acquisition. In return, Mr. Street was granted 1,000 acres of land in the new township and in 1824 this area became known as Streetsville.

The backbone of the new community was it's five major mill sites located along a five mile mile stretch of the fast flowing Credit. By 1850 Streetsville was recognized as "Queen of the County".

Timothy Street built a home for his family near his mill site in 1825. It still stands on the banks of the Credit River and is part of a concerted efforts by the merchants and residents of Streetsville to ensure the heritage of the village remains evident in everyday life.

It is this balance of historical reverence and the exciting array of present-day retail shops and services that make Streetsville the original and most inviting Village in the City of Mississauga.

Streetsville has the largest number of historically designated buildings in Mississauga.

Post processing:

PhotoShop Elements 5: posterization, watercolour, vignette (lasso and feathering)

Mural entitled "Tutu Girl" by Diana "Didi" Contreras for AOTA Mural Fest 2025, seen at 800 NW 7th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "The Girl In The Rain" by DANK aka @dankitchener seen in the Wynwood Walls Outdoor Museum in Miami, Florida.

Photo by James aka @urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

To mark the sixtieth birthday of photographer Anton Corbijn, the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag is organising a retrospective entitled HOLLANDS DEEP.

From my set entitled “Our Home, Streetsville”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157600265395738/

In my collection entitled “Places”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760074...

In my photostream

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/

I’ve always lived close to railway lines. When I was growing up in Orangeville, Ontario, I lived near the main station. Both the Canadian National Railway (CNR) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) passed through town. When my sister and I moved to a fifty acre farm in Dixie, Ontario (near Toronto) in 1960, the CPR bisected our land.

For the twenty-two years Karen and I have lived at our current address in Streetsville, Ontario, the CPR has been our neighbour across the back fence. People ask us, “Don’t the trains bother you?” We answer that we don’t even hear them.

We sit on the deck and view a lot of interesting stuff go by. One day I watched a trainload of tanks pass. Didn’t know Canada had so many tanks. We also see intriguing graffiti on the sides of tankers and boxcars. And there are cars from all over the U.S. and Canada.

This is the first shot of the trains I have taken from the deck, but there will be more. It’s best to take such pictures after the leaves have dropped, since it’s hard to see the trains through the summer foliage.

Reproduced from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Pacific_Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR; AAR reporting marks CP, CPAA, CPI), known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. Its rail network stretches from Vancouver to Montreal, and also serves major cities in the United States such as Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. Its headquarters are in Calgary, Alberta.

The railway was originally built between eastern Canada and British Columbia between 1881 and 1885 (connecting with Ottawa Valley and Georgian Bay area lines built earlier), fulfilling a promise extended to British Columbia when it entered Confederation in 1871. It was Canada's first transcontinental railway. Now primarily a freight railway, the CPR was for decades the only practical means of long distance passenger transport in most regions of Canada, and was instrumental in the settlement and development of Western Canada. The CP company became one of the largest and most powerful in Canada, a position it held as late as 1975.[1] Its primary passenger services were eliminated in 1986 after being assumed by VIA Rail Canada in 1978. A beaver was chosen as the railway's logo because it is one of the national symbols of Canada and represents the hardworking character of the company. The object of both praise and condemnation for over 120 years, the CPR remains an indisputable icon of Canadian nationalism.

The Canadian Pacific Railway is a public company with over 15,000 employees and market capitalization of 7 billion USD in 2008.[2]

Canada's very existence depended on the successful completion of the major civil engineering project, the creation of a transcontinental railway. Creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway was a task originally undertaken for a combination of reasons by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. British Columbia had insisted upon a transport link to the east as a condition for joining the Confederation of Canada (initially requesting a wagon road). The government however, proposed to build a railway linking the Pacific province to the eastern provinces within ten years of July 20, 1871. Macdonald also saw it as essential to the creation of a unified Canadian nation that would stretch across the continent. Moreover, manufacturing interests in Quebec and Ontario desired access to sources of raw materials and markets in Canada's west.

The first obstacle to its construction was economic. The logical route went through the American Midwest and the city of Chicago, Illinois. In addition to the obvious difficulty of building a railroad through the Canadian Rockies, an entirely Canadian route would require crossing 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of rugged terrain of the barren Canadian Shield and muskeg of Northern Ontario. To ensure this routing, the government offered huge incentives including vast grants of land in Western Canada.

In 1872, Sir John A. Macdonald and other high-ranking politicians, swayed by bribes in the so-called Pacific Scandal, granted federal contracts to Hugh Allan's "Canada Pacific Railway Company" (which was unrelated to the current company) and to the Inter-Ocean Railway Company. Because of this scandal, the Conservative party was removed from office in 1873. The new Liberal prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie, began construction of segments of the railway as a public enterprise under the supervision of the Department of Public Works. The Thunder Bay branch linking Lake Superior to Winnipeg was commenced in 1875. Progress was discouragingly slow because of the lack of public money. With Sir John A. Macdonald's return to power on October 16, 1878, a more aggressive construction policy was adopted. Macdonald confirmed that Port Moody would be the terminus of the transcontinental railway, and announced that the railway would follow the Fraser and Thompson rivers between Port Moody and Kamloops. In 1879, the federal government floated bonds in London and called for tenders to construct the 206 km (128 mile) section of the railway from Yale, British Columbia to Savona's Ferry on Kamloops Lake. The contract was awarded to Andrew Onderdonk, whose men started work on May 15, 1880. After the completion of that section, Onderdonk received contracts to build between Yale and Port Moody, and between Savona's Ferry and Eagle Pass.

On October 21, 1880, a new syndicate, unrelated to Hugh Allan's, signed a contract with the Macdonald government. They agreed to build the railway in exchange for $25,000,000 (approximately $625,000,000 in modern Canadian dollars) in credit from the Canadian government and a grant of 25,000,000 acres (100,000 km²) of land. The government transferred to the new company those sections of the railway it had constructed under government ownership. The government also defrayed surveying costs and exempted the railway from property taxes for 20 years. The Montreal-based syndicate officially comprised five men: George Stephen, James J. Hill, Duncan McIntyre, Richard B. Angus, and John Stewart Kennedy. Donald A. Smith and Norman Kittson were unofficial silent partners with a significant financial interest. On February 15, 1881, legislation confirming the contract received royal assent, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company was formally incorporated the next day.

The CPR started its westward expansion from Bonfield, Ontario (previously called Callander Station) where the first spike was driven into a sunken railway tie. Bonfield, Ontario was inducted into Canadian Railway Hall of Fame in 2002 as the CPR First Spike location. That was the point where the Canada Central Railway extension ended. The CCR was owned by Duncan McIntyre who amalgamated it with the CPR and became one of the handful of officers of the newly formed CPR. The CCR started in Brockville and extended to Pembroke. It then followed a westward route along the Ottawa River passing through places like Cobden, Deux-Rivières, and eventually to Mattawa at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers. It then proceeded cross-country towards its final destination Bonfield (previously called Callander Station).

Duncan McIntyre and his contractor James Worthington piloted the CCR expansion. Worthington continued on as the construction superintendent for the CPR past Bonfield. He remained with the CPR for about a year until he left the company. McIntyre was uncle to John Ferguson who staked out future North Bay after getting assurance from his uncle and Worthington that it would be the divisional and a location of some importance.

It was assumed that the railway would travel through the rich "Fertile Belt" of the North Saskatchewan River valley and cross the Rocky Mountains via the Yellowhead Pass, a route suggested by Sir Sandford Fleming based on a decade of work. However, the CPR quickly discarded this plan in favour of a more southerly route across the arid Palliser's Triangle in Saskatchewan and through Kicking Horse Pass over the Field Hill. This route was more direct and closer to the American border, making it easier for the CPR to keep American railways from encroaching on the Canadian market. However, this route also had several disadvantages.

One consequence was that the CPR would need to find a route through the Selkirk Mountains, as at the time it was not known whether a route even existed. The job of finding a pass was assigned to a surveyor named Major Albert Bowman Rogers. The CPR promised him a cheque for $5,000 and that the pass would be named in his honour. Rogers became obsessed with finding the pass that would immortalize his name. He found the pass on May 29, 1881, and true to its word, the CPR named the pass "Rogers Pass" and gave him the cheque. This however, he at first refused to cash, preferring to frame it, and saying he did not do it for the money. He later agreed to cash it with the promise of an engraved watch.

Another obstacle was that the proposed route crossed land controlled by the Blackfoot First Nation. This difficulty was overcome when a missionary priest, Albert Lacombe, persuaded the Blackfoot chief Crowfoot that construction of the railway was inevitable.

In return for his assent, Crowfoot was famously rewarded with a lifetime pass to ride the CPR. A more lasting consequence of the choice of route was that, unlike the one proposed by Fleming, the land surrounding the railway often proved too arid for successful agriculture. The CPR may have placed too much reliance on a report from naturalist John Macoun, who had crossed the prairies at a time of very high rainfall and had reported that the area was fertile.

The greatest disadvantage of the route was in Kicking Horse Pass. In the first 6 km (3.7 miles) west of the 1,625 metre (5,330 ft) high summit, the Kicking Horse River drops 350 metres (1,150 ft). The steep drop would force the cash-strapped CPR to build a 7 km (4.5 mile) long stretch of track with a very steep 4.5% gradient once it reached the pass in 1884. This was over four times the maximum gradient recommended for railways of this era, and even modern railways rarely exceed a 2% gradient. However, this route was far more direct than one through the Yellowhead Pass, and saved hours for both passengers and freight. This section of track was the CPR's Big Hill. Safety switches were installed at several points, the speed limit for descending trains was set at 10 km per hour (6 mph), and special locomotives were ordered. Despite these measures, several serious runaways still occurred. CPR officials insisted that this was a temporary expediency, but this state of affairs would last for 25 years until the completion of the Spiral Tunnels in the early 20th century.

In 1881 construction progressed at a pace too slow for the railway's officials, who in 1882 hired the renowned railway executive William Cornelius Van Horne, to oversee construction with the inducement of a generous salary and the intriguing challenge of handling such a difficult railway project. Van Horne stated that he would have 800 km (500 miles) of main line built in 1882. Floods delayed the start of the construction season, but over 672 km (417 miles) of main line, as well as various sidings and branch lines, were built that year. The Thunder Bay branch (west from Fort William) was completed in June 1882 by the Department of Railways and Canals and turned over to the company in May 1883, permitting all-Canadian lake and rail traffic from eastern Canada to Winnipeg for the first time in Canada's history. By the end of 1883, the railway had reached the Rocky Mountains, just eight km (5 miles) east of Kicking Horse Pass. The construction seasons of 1884 and 1885 would be spent in the mountains of British Columbia and on the north shore of Lake Superior.

Many thousands of navvies worked on the railway. Many were European immigrants. In British Columbia, the CPR hired workers from China, nicknamed coolies. A navvy received between $1 and $2.50 per day, but had to pay for his own food, clothing, transportation to the job site, mail, and medical care. After two and a half months of back-breaking labour, they could net as little as $16. Chinese navvies in British Columbia made only between $0.75 and $1.25 a day, not including expenses, leaving barely anything to send home. They did the most dangerous construction jobs, such as working with explosives. The families of the Chinese who were killed received no compensation, or even notification of loss of life. Many of the men who survived did not have enough money to return to their families in China. Many spent years in lonely, sad and often poor conditions. Yet the Chinese were hard working and played a key role in building the western stretch of the railway; even some boys as young as 12 years old served as tea-boys.

By 1883, railway construction was progressing rapidly, but the CPR was in danger of running out of funds. In response, on January 31, 1884, the government passed the Railway Relief Bill, providing a further $22,500,000 in loans to the CPR. The bill received royal assent on March 6, 1884.

In March 1885, the North-West Rebellion broke out in the District of Saskatchewan. Van Horne, in Ottawa at the time, suggested to the government that the CPR could transport troops to Qu'Appelle, Assiniboia, in eleven days. Some sections of track were incomplete or had not been used before, but the trip to Winnipeg was made in nine days and the rebellion was quickly put down. Perhaps because the government was grateful for this service, they subsequently re-organized the CPR's debt and provided a further $5,000,000 loan. This money was desperately needed by the CPR. On November 7, 1885 the Last Spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, making good on the original promise. Four days earlier, the last spike of the Lake Superior section was driven in just west of Jackfish, Ontario. While the railway was completed four years after the original 1881 deadline, it was completed more than five years ahead of the new date of 1891 that Macdonald gave in 1881.

The successful construction of such a massive project, although troubled by delays and scandal, was considered an impressive feat of engineering and political will for a country with such a small population, limited capital, and difficult terrain. It was by far the longest railway ever constructed at the time. It had taken 12,000 men, 5,000 horses, and 300 dog-sled teams to build the railway.

Meanwhile, in Eastern Canada, the CPR had created a network of lines reaching from Quebec City to St. Thomas, Ontario by 1885, and had launched a fleet of Great Lakes ships to link its terminals. The CPR had effected purchases and long-term leases of several railways through an associated railway company, the Ontario and Quebec Railway (O&Q). The O&Q built a line between Perth, Ontario, and Toronto (completed on May 5, 1884) to connect these acquisitions. The CPR obtained a 999-year lease on the O&Q on January 4, 1884. Later, in 1895, it acquired a minority interest in the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway, giving it a link to New York and the northeast US.

So many cost-cutting shortcuts were taken in constructing the railway that regular transcontinental service could not start for another seven months while work was done to improve the railway's condition. However, had these shortcuts not been taken, it is conceivable that the CPR might have had to default financially, leaving the railway unfinished. The first transcontinental passenger train departed from Montreal's Dalhousie Station, located at Berri Street and Notre Dame Street on June 28, 1886 at 8:00 p.m. and arrived at Port Moody on July 4, 1886 at noon. This train consisted of two baggage cars, a mail car, one second-class coach, two immigrant sleepers, two first-class coaches, two sleeping cars, and a diner.

By that time, however, the CPR had decided to move its western terminus from Port Moody to Gastown, which was renamed "Vancouver" later that year. The first official train destined for Vancouver arrived on May 23, 1887, although the line had already been in use for three months. The CPR quickly became profitable, and all loans from the Federal government were repaid years ahead of time.

In 1888, a branch line was opened between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie where the CPR connected with the American railway system and its own steamships. That same year, work was started on a line from London, Ontario to the American border at Windsor, Ontario. That line opened on June 12, 1890.

The CPR also leased the New Brunswick Railway for 999 years and built the International Railway of Maine, connecting Montreal with Saint John, New Brunswick in 1889. The connection with Saint John on the Atlantic coast made the CPR the first truly transcontinental railway company and permitted trans-Atlantic cargo and passenger services to continue year-round when sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence closed the port of Montreal during the winter months.

By 1896, competition with the Great Northern Railway for traffic in southern British Columbia forced the CPR to construct a second line across the province, south of the original line. Van Horne, now president of the CPR, asked for government aid, and the government agreed to provide around $3.6 million to construct a railway from Lethbridge, Alberta through Crowsnest Pass to the south shore of Kootenay Lake, in exchange for the CPR agreeing to reduce freight rates in perpetuity for key commodities shipped in Western Canada. The controversial Crowsnest Pass Agreement effectively locked the eastbound rate on grain products and westbound rates on certain "settlers' effects" at the 1897 level. Although temporarily suspended during World War I, it was not until 1983 that the "Crow Rate" was permanently replaced by the Western Grain Transportation Act which allowed for the gradual increase of grain shipping prices. The Crowsnest Pass line opened on June 18, 1899.

Practically speaking, the CPR had built a railway that operated mostly in the wilderness. The usefulness of the Prairies was questionable in the minds of many. The thinking prevailed that the Prairies had great potential. Under the initial contract with the Canadian Government to build the railway, the CPR was granted 25,000,000 acres (100,000 km²). Proving already to be a very resourceful organization, Canadian Pacific began an intense campaign to bring immigrants to Canada.

Canadian Pacific agents operated in many overseas locations. Immigrants were often sold a package that included passage on a CP ship, travel on a CP train, and land sold by the CP railway. Land was priced at $2.50 an acre and up. Immigrants paid very little for a seven-day journey to the West. They rode in Colonist cars that had sleeping facilities and a small kitchen at one end of the car. Children were not allowed off the train, lest they wander off and be left behind. The directors of the CPR knew that not only were they creating a nation, but also a long-term source of revenue for their company.

During the first decade of the twentieth century, the CPR continued to build more lines. In 1908 the CPR opened a line connecting Toronto with Sudbury. Previously, westbound traffic originating in southern Ontario took a circuitous route through eastern Ontario.

Several operational improvements were also made to the railway in western Canada. In 1909 the CPR completed two significant engineering accomplishments. The most significant was the replacement of the Big Hill, which had become a major bottleneck in the CPR's main line, with the Spiral Tunnels, reducing the grade to 2.2% from 4.5%. The Spiral Tunnels opened in August. On November 3, 1909, the Lethbridge Viaduct over the Oldman River valley at Lethbridge, Alberta was opened. It is 1,624 metres (5,327 ft) long and, at its maximum, 96 metres (314 ft) high, making it the longest railway bridge in Canada. In 1916 the CPR replaced its line through Rogers Pass, which was prone to avalanches, with the Connaught Tunnel, an eight km (5 mile) long tunnel under Mount Macdonald that was, at the time of its opening, the longest railway tunnel in the Western Hemisphere.

The CPR acquired several smaller railways via long-term leases in 1912. On January 3, 1912, the CPR acquired the Dominion Atlantic Railway, a railway that ran in western Nova Scotia. This acquisition gave the CPR a connection to Halifax, a significant port on the Atlantic Ocean. The Dominion Atlantic was isolated from the rest of the CPR network and used the CNR to facilitate interchange; the DAR also operated ferry services across the Bay of Fundy for passengers and cargo (but not rail cars) from the port of Digby, Nova Scotia to the CPR at Saint John, New Brunswick. DAR steamships also provided connections for passengers and cargo between Yarmouth, Boston and New York.

On July 1, 1912, the CPR acquired the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, a railway on Vancouver Island that connected to the CPR using a railcar ferry. The CPR also acquired the Quebec Central Railway on December 14, 1912.

During the late 19th century, the railway undertook an ambitious program of hotel construction, building the Château Frontenac in Quebec City, the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, the Banff Springs Hotel, and several other major Canadian landmarks. By then, the CPR had competition from three other transcontinental lines, all of them money-losers. In 1919, these lines were consolidated, along with the track of the old Intercolonial Railway and its spurs, into the government-owned Canadian National Railways.

When World War I broke out in 1914, the CPR devoted resources to the war effort, and managed to stay profitable while its competitors struggled to remain solvent. After the war, the Federal government created Canadian National Railways (CNR, later CN) out of several bankrupt railways that fell into government hands during and after the war. CNR would become the main competitor to the CPR in Canada.

The Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 until 1939, hit many companies heavily. While the CPR was affected, it was not affected to the extent of its rival CNR because it, unlike the CNR, was debt-free. The CPR scaled back on some of its passenger and freight services, and stopped issuing dividends to its shareholders after 1932.

One highlight of the 1930s, both for the railway and for Canada, was the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Canada in 1939, the first time that the reigning monarch had visited the country. The CPR and the CNR shared the honours of pulling the royal train across the country, with the CPR undertaking the westbound journey from Quebec City to Vancouver.

Later that year, World War II began. As it had done in World War I, the CPR devoted much of its resources to the war effort. It retooled its Angus Shops in Montreal to produce Valentine tanks, and transported troops and resources across the country. As well, 22 of the CPR's ships went to warfare, 12 of which were sunk.

After World War II, the transportation industry in Canada changed. Where railways had previously provided almost universal freight and passenger services, cars, trucks, and airplanes started to take traffic away from railways. This naturally helped the CPR's air and trucking operations, and the railway's freight operations continued to thrive hauling resource traffic and bulk commodities. However, passenger trains quickly became unprofitable.

During the 1950s, the railway introduced new innovations in passenger service, and in 1955 introduced The Canadian, a new luxury transcontinental train. However, starting in the 1960s the company started to pull out of passenger services, ending services on many of its branch lines. It also discontinued its transcontinental train The Dominion in 1966, and in 1970 unsuccessfully applied to discontinue The Canadian. For the next eight years, it continued to apply to discontinue the service, and service on The Canadian declined markedly. On October 29, 1978, CP Rail transferred its passenger services to VIA Rail, a new federal Crown corporation that is responsible for managing all intercity passenger service formerly handled by both CP Rail and CN. VIA eventually took almost all of its passenger trains, including The Canadian, off CP's lines.

In 1968, as part of a corporate re-organization, each of the CPR's major operations, including its rail operations, were organized as separate subsidiaries. The name of the railway was changed to CP Rail, and the parent company changed its name to Canadian Pacific Limited in 1971. Its express, telecommunications, hotel and real estate holdings were spun off, and ownership of all of the companies transferred to Canadian Pacific Investments. The company discarded its beaver logo, adopting the new Multimark logo that could be used for each of its operations.

In 1984 CP Rail commenced construction of the Mount Macdonald Tunnel to augment the Connaught Tunnel under the Selkirk Mountains. The first revenue train passed through the tunnel in 1988. At 14.7 km (9 miles), it is the longest tunnel in the Americas.

During the 1980s, the Soo Line, in which CP Rail still owned a controlling interest, underwent several changes. It acquired the Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway in 1982. Then on February 21, 1985, the Soo Line obtained a controlling interest in the Milwaukee Road, merging it into its system on January 1, 1986. Also in 1980 Canadian Pacific bought out the controlling interests of the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway (TH&B) from Conrail and molded it into the Canadian Pacific System, dissolving the TH&B's name from the books in 1985. In 1987 most of CPR's trackage in the Great Lakes region, including much of the original Soo Line, were spun off into a new railway, the Wisconsin Central, which was subsequently purchased by CN.

Influenced by the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement of 1989 which liberalized trade between the two nations, the CPR's expansion continued during the early 1990s: CP Rail gained full control of the Soo Line in 1990, and bought the Delaware and Hudson Railway in 1991. These two acquisitions gave CP Rail routes to the major American cities of Chicago (via the Soo Line) and New York City (via the D&H).

During the next few years CP Rail downsized its route, and several Canadian branch lines were either sold to short lines or abandoned. This included all of its lines east of Montreal, with the routes operating across Maine and New Brunswick to the port of Saint John (operating as the Canadian Atlantic Railway) being sold or abandoned, severing CPR's transcontinental status (in Canada); the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the late 1950s, coupled with subsidized icebreaking services, made Saint John surplus to CPR's requirements. During the 1990s, both CP Rail and CN attempted unsuccessfully to buy out the eastern assets of the other, so as to permit further rationalization. As well, it closed divisional and regional offices, drastically reduced white collar staff, and consolidated its Canadian traffic control system in Calgary, Alberta.

Finally, in 1996, reflecting the increased importance of western traffic to the railway, CP Rail moved its head office to Calgary from Montreal and changed its name back to Canadian Pacific Railway. A new subsidiary company, the St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway, was created to operate its money-losing lines in eastern North America, covering Quebec, Southern and Eastern Ontario, trackage rights to Chicago, Illinois, as well as the Delaware and Hudson Railway in the U.S. Northeast. However, the new subsidiary, threatened with being sold off and free to innovate, quickly spun off losing track to short lines, instituted scheduled freight service, and produced an unexpected turn-around in profitability. After only four years, CPR revised its opinion and the StL&H formally re-amalgamated with its parent on January 1, 2001.

In 2001, the CPR's parent company, Canadian Pacific Limited, spun off its five subsidiaries, including the CPR, into independent companies. Canadian Pacific Railway formally (but, not legally) shortened its name to Canadian Pacific in early 2007, dropping the word "railway" in order to reflect more operational flexibility. Shortly after the name revision, Canadian Pacific announced that it had committed to becoming a major sponsor and logistics provider to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

On September 4, 2007, CPR announced it was acquiring the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad from its present owners, London-based Electra Private Equity.[3] The transaction is an "end-to-end" consolidation,[4][5] and will give CPR access to U.S. shippers of agricultural products, ethanol, and coal. CPR has stated its intention to use this purchase to gain access to the rich coal fields of Wyoming's Powder River Basin. The purchase price is US$1.48 billion, and future payments of over US$1.0 billion contingent on commencement of construction on the smaller railroad's Powder River extension and specified volumes of coal shipments from the Powder River basin.[4] The transaction was subject to approval of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB), which was expected to take a year.[4] On October 4, 2007, CPR announced it has completed the financial transactions required for the acquisition, placing the DM&E and IC&E in a voting trust with Richard Hamlin appointed as the trustee. CPR planned to integrate the railroads' operations once the STB approves the acquisition.[6] The merger was completed as of October 31, 2008.[7]

Post Processing;

Topaz: vibrance

PhotoShop Elements 5: crop, multiply, posterization, ink outlines, sandstone texture

Mural entitled "Peregrinos" by Diego Penuela aka @diegoillustration for Titan Walls 2022, seen at the District Brew Yards, 417 North Ashland Avenue in the West Town area of Chicago, Illinois.

Drone photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

Mural entitled "The Mother Creator" by Elmac aka @mac_arte, seen at 2579 South Bronson Avenue in the Jefferson Park area of Los Angeles, California.

Photo by James aka Urbanmuralhunter on that other photo site.

Edit by Teee.

L’oisillon à droit à sa promenade découverte - The chick is entitled to his discovery walk.

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Les jeunes Grèbes montent sur le dos des adultes dès la naissance. Les poussins passent alors leurs premiers jours sur le dos de l’un de leurs parents pendant que l’autre assure le ravitaillement. Si le menu est essentiellement composé de petits poissons, les petits sont aussi nourris avec de petites plumes destinées à créer une couche protectrice contre les arêtes de poissons au fond de leur estomac. A noter que les poussins ont une petite zone de peau nue jaune pâle au niveau du front. Quand ils ont faim, celle-ci vire au rouge, ce qui permet aux parents de savoir quand il faut partir à la pêche.

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Young Grebes ride on the backs of adults from birth. The chicks then spend their first days on the back of one of their parents while the other ensures the supply. If the menu is mainly small fish, the young are also fed with small feathers to create a protective layer against fish bones in the bottom of their stomachs. Note that chicks have a small area of pale yellow bare skin at the forehead. When they are hungry, it turns red, which allows parents to know when to go fishing.